Guest Post | Exploring Vienna in One Day

About the guest author

Hello, my name is Fiona and I had the honor of writing this guest post on Abbie’s blog.

I also have my own blog, called RecapWizard. This blog is like a map into a small part of my brain. My favourite thing ever is Netflix, so I write recaps and reviews about my favourite (or not so favourite) TV shows, films and books. And now to the actual post:

Vienna - a small city in the heart of Europe; in other words the capital city of Austria. A small, yet very beautiful place filled with things to do and explore. Maybe some of you have heard about Austria through famous names relevant to music, like Mozart, Haydn or Schubert. You also may know Austria because of people like Gustav Klimt, Maria Theresia, Falco or Arnold Schwarzenegger. It doesn’t really matter if you do or don’t know this little piece of paradise – you will get to explore some parts by reading this post. Have fun on this short “virtual tour” of Vienna, where I’m going to show you some of my favorite (and maybe not so touristy) places!

First stop: “Hundertwasserhaus”

Friedrich Hundertwasser; another fairly famous person from Vienna. He was born 1928 and was a painter and architect.

The Hundertwasserhaus is an apartment building and has become a part of Austria’s cultural heritage. Though the picture that I took is not the front of the building, this is how you would see it from the road. The Hundertwasserhaus is very colourful and artistic and definitely something that you’ve never seen before. In a way it almost reminds me of Gaudi’s architecture (specifically “Casa Batllo”) in Barcelona…

Next stop: “Stadtpark”

Stadtpark is the Central Park of Vienna. It’s a place where people from the city go to relax, have fun, hang out with friends, feel close to nature or basically to do anything their heart desires. I like to go there to gather ideas and thoughts.

Especially in summer, Stadtpark is filled with people sitting on the grass and having picnics. It’s a great way to escape the noisy city for a while.

“Albertina” – one of my favourite museums

The Albertina museum is a truly magical place. If you’re like me and you have a certain interest in art, photography and drawings, this will be the place for you. It also houses one of the largest and most important print rooms in the world with approximately 65,000 drawings and 1 million old master prints. Also, the exhibitions change quite regularly, so frequent visitors always get to see something new. Currently, there is an amazing exhibition on Monet and Picasso’s work.

Quick stop: “Schwarzenbergplatz”

So, at this point I was feeling a bit tired from all of the walking around, so I decided to stop at this fountain. It’s a place in the middle of the city where literally everyone chills.

On a hot day like the day where I shot these photos, people tend to cool off their feet here. Overall I can tell you that Schwarzenbergplatz is filled with laughter and joy – even with unbearable 39°C. Ps. I saw a rainbow!

I got some frozen yogurt on the way. I’ve always liked it better than ice cream. And now *drumroll*, this is my absolute insider tip: if you want some really good organic froyo, visit “Kurt Froze Yogurt”. I’m telling you it’s the freaking best I’ve ever had! (that coming from a person who has tried 85% of the frozen yogurt in Vienna)

So yeah, now that we have my froyo-obsession out of the way, let’s move on to the next spot on today’s tour guide…

“Schloss Belvedere” – a masterpiece from the Habsburg dynasty

The Belvedere consists of two parts – the upper and lower Belvedere. Everything about this castle is baroque. Even the landscape’s gardening is matching the baroque theme. The place is simply breathtaking, giving you a somewhat fairytale to look at.

In addition, the lower Belvedere hosts smaller exhibitions with amazing art and sculptures. There are also a lot of Gustav Klimt’s paintings, which also introduces you to him and his work.

If you’re not that interested in art, the palace gardens are also very beautiful and full of lovely French garden styles. And if you’re still not into that, I guess you can feed the ducks ;)

Tourist center: “Stephansdom”

Like in every big city, you have the places that are crawling with tourists. Stephansplatz is one of those sites. Though very beautiful, it’s hard to find your way through the masses. In the Centre you have a huge church called “St. Stephen’s Cathedral”. The landmark was mostly designed and built in the gothic style and is probably the most important religious building in Vienna. Around the cathedral are numerous shops, café’s and street artists.

If you are in search for some shops, specifically high end ones like Chanel, Burberry, Louis Vuitton and many more, walk straight on to “Kärntnerstraße”. In this street you will also find a Swarovski store – Swarovski being another very famous brand from Austria. If you have some money and want to buy some really nice jewellery, I would recommend going there.

Last stop: “Café Neko”

Okay, I will admit, this is kind of a crazy last stop, but I really liked it so I decided to include it. This is not a normal café. Here, you will eat and drink like usual with one exception: you will do all that while several cats will stroll around. That’s right – a cat coffee place!

For some people I’m sure the idea of drinking coffee while cats (and fur balls) are around doesn’t sound that appealing, but if you have a pet (preferably a cat) at home, maybe you’ll like it. I recommend the Aloe Vera juice and a seat by the window.

The area also has some great restaurants.

That’s it for today’s tour of Vienna. This was by far not everything there is to see, but these are some of my favorites. Vienna is such a beautiful city with so much culture, character and history - and I love it here. I hope you enjoyed seeing Vienna through the lens of my camera.

*If you would like to guest post on my blog, please email abbiew150@gmail.com all welcome*